More than 96,000 school bus drivers counted 74,421 vehicles as they illegally passed their stopped school buses in a single day. One out of every 58 violations reported occurred on the right-hand side of the bus where students use the door to load and unload. These one-day violations reported to NASDPTS from bus drivers in 33 states and the District of Columbia amount to more than 13 million illegal maneuvers in a typical 180-day school year.

“These numbers are alarming. With summer school in session and a new school year approaching, now is the time to remind drivers to stop for school buses with their stop arms extended,” said ATS spokesperson Charles Territo. “ATS urges drivers to remember children’s lives are at risk when the rules of the road are ignored near school buses.”

ATS is a proponent of traffic safety and works closely with school districts to enforce school bus stop arm passing laws. Currently, ATS is in partnership with 23 school districts operating CrossingGuard School Bus Stop Arm Safety Camera Programs in five states: Georgia, Washington, Maryland, Virginia and Texas. The cameras record and provide video evidence of illegal passings to local law enforcement for review and prosecution.

Results from ATS’ latest review of its CrossingGuard programs show the automated enforcement systems continue to deter drivers who might otherwise illegally pass a stopped school bus and put children in danger.

The analysis found that 99 percent of drivers who received one ticket for passing a school bus with its stop arm extended did not receive a second violation. The data also found a nearly 40 percent decrease in the number of violations issued. Both of these results are strong indicators that drivers are changing their behavior. The analysis studied data from August 2014 to May 2016. Additional information on CrossingGuard and school bus stop arm safety can be viewed here: https://www.atsol.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CG-ReportCard-CutSheet-201606.pdf

“CrossingGuard is an effective school bus stop arm safety camera system that helps school bus drivers protect their young passengers,” added Territo.

Today’s NASDPTS report is the sixth annual one-day study of its kind. Almost 20 percent of the nation’s school bus drivers participated in the effort. Last year’s study recorded nearly 78,000 illegal passings in a single day, leading to an estimated 14 million drivers illegally passing stopped school buses in a 180-day school year. The full report may be viewed here: http://www.nasdpts.org/StopArm/index.html